


Enough Is Enough

by 0nce_Upon_My_Story



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
Genre: Blackinnon (secondary focus), F/M, Jily crossover, To All The Boys I've Loved Before/Jily crossover, jily
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-01-03 01:43:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21171362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0nce_Upon_My_Story/pseuds/0nce_Upon_My_Story
Summary: I, Lily Evans, just kissed James Potter. Voluntarily.There is, of course, a logical explanation: I was sick of Severus following me around and constantly trying to apologise.Marlene suggested a fake relationship to keep Severus away, and I foolishly agreed.So here I am. James Potter’s (fake) girlfriend.Hooray.





	1. Of Snapes and Selwyns

**Author's Note:**

> ** This story came to me after I discovered the brilliant world of James/Lily fandom (Turning Tables by scaredofclouds – highly recommended if you haven’t read it!) **
> 
> **For the purposes of this story, I shifted Lily and Snape’s big fight by the lake to after their sixth-year exams instead of after their fifth-year OWLs. **
> 
> **Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters in Harry Potter (all rights go to the brilliant J.K. Rowling) nor do I own the first couple paragraphs of Chapter One (I copied them directly from The Deathly Hallows).  
Any plot ideas you recognize from To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before are the property of Jenny Han and Netflix.**

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not interested.”

“I’m sorry!”

“Save your breath.”

Lily gave Severus an icy glare as she folded her arms over her white dressing gown. 

“I only came because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep out here.”

“I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just –

“Slipped out?” Lily asked, her voice hard and pitiless. “It’s too late. I’ve made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends – you see, you don’t even deny it! You don’t even deny that’s what you’re all aiming to be! You can’t wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?”

Severus opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking. Lily went on irately, glad to have a chance to speak what had been on her mind for so long. 

“I can’t pretend any more. You’ve chosen your way, I’ve chosen mine.”

“No – listen, I didn’t mean –”

“- to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?” 

He struggled on the verge of speech, but Lily just gave him a contemptuous glare and climbed back through the portrait hole. 

Mary was waiting for her. “Did he give you trouble?” her friend asked, obviously feeling more than slightly guilty. Lily shrugged.

“He tried to apologise. I didn’t accept. We fought,” she said shortly. 

“I’m sorry for sending you out there,” Mary said apologetically. 

“I don’t blame you at all,” Lily reassured, giving Mary a somewhat bitter smile. “It’s entirely Sev’s fault.” 

*****

To Lily’s relief, there were only three weeks of term left. She avoided Severus as much as she could, but he still managed to find her and try to apologise to her eight more times. 

Lily arranged to spend the first two weeks of her summer with Mary in Cornwall to minimise her chances of seeing Severus. She was very glad she had, because her mother’s letters informed her that _‘the Snape boy who used to be your friend came knocking at our door no less than twenty-nine times in the last ten days.’_

Lily was even happier when she read her mother’s next letter. “Mrs Macdonald, would you mind awfully if I left a day or two later than we’d planned?” 

Mary’s mother, a jolly Scottish woman with absolutely no magical blood, said she’d be delighted to put Lily up for a few extra days. 

“Not that I mind, Lily, but why d’you want to stay on?” Mary asked her as they strolled along the beautiful Cornish beaches later that morning. 

“Mum said that they’ll be driving past here on their way to Newquay Airport on Saturday, so it really makes no sense for me to go home now only to come back in two days’ time,” Lily explained. 

“Great!” said Mary. “Then you’ll be here for Sarah Selwyn’s birthday do. She’s turning seventeen, and they’re holding a big party for her. It’ll be great fun- her parents are rich as anything.”

Lily said nothing, but gave a cautious smile. Mary seemed to sense her hesitation and smiled reassuringly. “It’ll be great, Lil! I know you don’t usually go to this kind of thing, but I’m sure you’ll have loads of fun.”

“It’s not that,” Lily sighed. “It’s just that I’ve never been to a pure-blood’s manor before, and I don’t know if I’d be welcome.”

Mary frowned. “You’ve been to Marlene’s plenty of times,” she corrected. “And they’re definitely pure-bloods.”

“Well, yes, but they’re not crazily rich or prejudiced. They accepted me as Marlene’s friend with open arms.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Mary said comfortingly. “The Selwyns are perfectly friendly towards Muggle-borns, and Sarah’s best friend is Kate Fallow, a half-blood like me.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “You’re not going to give up till I agree, are you?” Smirking, Mary shook her head. 

“Fine, but you’re buying my dress,” Lily said, smiling angelically at her friend. It was Mary’s turn to roll her eyes, while Lily looked on with a self-satisfied smirk.

“I suppose I’ll have to,” Mary said good-naturedly. “But all that in its time. Are you up for a swim?”

*****

“No way,” Lily said, for what must have been the seventeenth time at least. What had possessed Mary to let _Marlene_ choose dresses for Lily? 

Marlene scowled as she flung the dress onto the ever-growing pile at the foot of Mary’s bed. “You can’t say no to everything, Lil,” she grumbled, reaching for the next candidate. Lily shook her head at that, too, and cast her eyes skyward. 

“I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to go to the party,” Lily complained as Marlene showed her a particularly skimpy black dress. 

Mary peeked over the rim of Enchanted Adventures to raise an eyebrow at her. “It’s just a dress, Lily, how bad can it be?”

“Bad,” Lily snapped as she rejected a backless green dress with a roll of her eyes. Mary just shook her head and went back to her reading. She’d given up on Marlene and Lily almost as soon as they’d started, and Lily couldn’t blame her. She was very near giving up herself. 

Marlene gave Lily an appraising look. “Alright, alright, I’ll return all these, I can see they’re not your style. But you’ve got to try this one on for size before I hand anything back in. It’ll look great, I just know it.”

Lily studied the dress in question with a very critical eye. It wasn’t as low-cut or revealing as the others, but it would still only reach her mid-thigh. Shaking her head, she held out one hand for the dress. 

Lily changed quickly and rushed towards the nearest mirror. She gawked a little at what she saw, then grudgingly admitted that Marlene had been right. This dress looked fantastic on her. 

The dress sat comfortably around her middle, making her look even slimmer than she already was. The neckline was a very modest scoop, with broad straps that sat surprisingly elegantly on her shoulders. It rippled outwards a little from the waist down, the dark blue folds lying prettily just above her knees. 

Mary and Marlene cheered when they saw Lily in the dress. “I knew it, I knew it!” Marlene sang, twirling Lily around the room. “This blue is so your colour!” 

Mary chuckled at her friends’ antics. “Great! Now that you’re finally done, shall we go down for lunch?”

Marlene released Lily at once and sped down the stairs. Lily gave Mary a grin and dashed down to follow, only stopping when Mary yelled “Hey, remember to change back into your normal clothes before you eat! It’d be such a shame to spoil this lovely dress!”

Lily hared back up the stairs and changed as quickly as she could, before joining her friends for a picnic lunch by the sea. 

*****

Lily smoothed the dark blue fabric of her dress as she waited for Marlene to finish in the bathroom. _Honestly, you’d think she was trying to drown herself in makeup the way she goes on sometimes!___

_ _Mary smiled at her, and the two shared an eye roll. Marlene may have been their best friend, but some of her habits were heartily annoying. _ _

_ _“Took you long enough,” Lily greeted as Marlene finally appeared. She was wearing a short red dress with a deep V-neck, sky-high red heels, bright red lipstick and red flowers in her blonde hair. _ _

_ _Mary was also looking pretty, albeit in a much less eye-catching fashion than Marlene. Her dress of choice was soft cream trimmed with real flower petals, and her makeup was also a lot less dramatic. _ _

_ _Mrs Macdonald bustled out from the kitchen and stopped short, admiring the girls. “That looks very nice, you three! Here are your invitations, by the way, they arrived by owl a few minutes ago.”_ _

_ __Lily Evans,_ it read in graceful cursive at the top, followed by Sarah’s address for apparition. _I’m delighted that you could come,_ Sarah had scribbled on Lily’s invitation. _ _

_ _Lily smiled, completely reassured of her welcome now, and checked the address again. “Selwyn Manor, Newquay, Cornwall,” she said clearly as she turned on her heel to Apparate. _ _

_ _A second later she arrived on the expansive green lawns of Selwyn Manor. Lily blinked in awe as she looked around her – the Selwyns were even richer than she’d thought! _ _

_ _Lily recognized Sarah Selwyn standing in the doorway between two Roman-style pillars, and Kate Fallow climbing the sprawling marble stairs to greet her friend. _ _

_ _“Come on, Lily,” Mary called, striding confidently past the marble gargoyles on either side of the steps. Lily followed slightly nervously, but Sarah’s exuberant greeting soon put her at ease. _ _

_ _“You look fantastic,” Lily complimented. Sarah brushed a hand over her silky rose-coloured robes and smiled graciously. “Happy birthday!” Lily added hastily, and Sarah’s smile grew. _ _

_ _A tall, kind-looking woman who closely resembled Sarah (her mother, Lily guessed) shepherded Lily and her friends through the door. _ _

_ _“Most people are in the banquet hall, there’s snacks and everything there,” Mrs Selwyn said, pointing through a set of mahogany doors. _ _

_ _Lily swallowed the last of her nerves and walked lightly into the indicated room. She gasped at the sheer size of the room – it was about as big as the Great Hall in Hogwarts – and admired the extravagant decorations. _ _

_ _‘SARAH’S SEVENTEENTH!’ exploded in fireworks above Lily’s head as she stepped through the door. She grinned, impressed, once her original shock had passed. _ _

_ _“Lily!” she heard an excited voice call. Scanning the crowds of people for its source, she soon spotted Venus Jones and Fiona Finnigan, her Gryffindor dorm-mates, waving at her from beside the punch table. _ _

_ _Lily strolled over, smiling at Marianne Corner (a Ravenclaw she knew from the Slug Club) on her way. Venus and Fiona were nearly total opposites – where Venus was petite and beautiful, Fiona was average-looking and more heavily built. Where Venus was graceful but shy, Fiona was opinionated and rather accident-prone. _ _

_ _Lily greeted both girls with affectionate hugs. She had a great liking for them both, although they weren’t close friends by any standards. They chatted pleasantly for a couple of minutes, before Lily saw Marlene waving her over from the far side of the room.   
Politely excusing herself, Lily made her way over to Marlene, but froze when she saw who her friend was talking to. She was just about to turn away, but to her dismay, Marlene spotted her and called her over._ _

_ _Dragging her feet, Lily walked as slowly as she reasonably could to Marlene’s side. “Hello, Remus,” she greeted the sandy-haired Marauder affectionately, then turned her eyes to the other two and said, in a much colder tone of voice, “Potter, Black. A pleasure, as always.”_ _

_ _“Evans,” Potter greeted, nodding his head politely. Sirius Black just smirked at her and continued flirting with the wide-eyed girl beside him. Lily gave Marlene her best death glare, then smiled warmly at Remus Lupin. “How are you, Remus?”_ _

_ _Looking faintly amused, Remus replied, “Oh, very well, thank you.” Lily nodded, opening her mouth to say something more, but Potter interrupted. “I’m well, too, thank you for asking.”_ _

_ _Lily treated him to the same icy glare Marlene had received, then continued to talk to Remus as though nothing had occurred. Potter rolled his eyes, but turned to speak to Marlene. _ _

_ _Faintly surprised, Lily gave him an appraising look and missed the next question Remus asked her. _ _

_ _“Oh, I’m sorry, I missed that,” she apologised easily. _ _

_ _Remus gave her a slight smile and repeated, “I asked if you’d seen dear Severus again during the holidays?”_ _

_ _“I’m glad to say I haven’t,” Lily said, her tone cold and hard. “Nor do I have any wish to. Our friendship is over, and I wish he’d understand that!” She’d spoken a lot louder than she’d intended to, and she blushed when Marlene and Potter sent her questioning looks. _ _

_ _“Maybe you should just let him apologise-” Remus began, but Lily cut him off before he could finish the sentiment. _ _

_ _“Absolutely not. He’s chosen his way, and I’ve chosen mine. I’ve told him – repeatedly – that we’re over, and there’s nothing anyone can do to change that.” _ _

_ _Remus nodded understandingly. “So would you be willing to consider new friendships?” he asked, casting a furtive glance over at Potter as he did so. _ _

_ _Lily snorted. “Not with James Potter or Sirius Black, that’s for sure,” she said firmly. _ _

_ _Remus was watching her intently. “They’re really not so bad,” he told Lily, and his tone was far more intense than she was prepared for. “James regrets that day by the lake more than anything else, I think, though he won’t tell anyone.”_ _

_ _Lily gave him an odd look. “Why are you telling me this, Remus?” she asked, letting her confusion seep into her tone._ _

_ _“Because James is really, genuinely sorry about destroying your friendship,” he replied, and his voice was so sincere that Lily almost believed him. Almost. _ _

_ _“I thought he’d be thrilled! Splitting the guy he hates from the girl he fancies?” Lily sniffed in her best imitation of her sister Petunia. _ _

_ _“James isn’t like that,” Remus said firmly. “He’s a much better person than you give him credit for. And as for the girl he fancies, I think you’ll find that’s changed. He’s dating Rosamond Fairbourne now.” _ _

_ _Lily blinked, surprised. Why hadn’t it occurred to her that Potter might date someone? Of course he’d date. He was a teenage boy, and – dare she say it – handsome. _ _

_ _Now that she thought about it, Potter hadn’t attempted to ask her out since that disastrous day by the lake. Was it possible he didn’t like her anymore? _ _

_ _A slow smile spread across Lily’s face. “That’s the best news I’ve had all year,” she informed a bemused Remus, hugging him delightedly. Remus patted her back awkwardly, but when she pulled away, there was an odd, almost regretful, look on his face.   
He was soon smiling again, but Lily couldn’t shake the feeling that something was definitely off about him. First he was trying to persuade her to be friends with James Potter, then he was looking disappointed that she thought Potter dating was a good thing. _ _

_ _Lily tried to forget Remus’s puzzling behaviour for the time being and focused instead on having a good time. She even chatted a little with Rosamond Fairbourne (Potter’s girlfriend) then wished she hadn’t, because all Rosamond was interested in talking about was Potter. _ _

_ _“Don’t you think James is the handsomest guy in the school?” Rosamond gushed yet again. Lily kept herself from rolling her eyes with no small effort and managed a polite, “Well, that’s going a bit far… Maybe the handsomest in our year.”_ _

_ _Unfortunately for her, Potter chose that exact moment to lean in and kiss Rosamond on the cheek. Raising one eyebrow, he smirked, “Didn’t know you found me so attractive, Evans.”_ _

_ _Lily blushed to the roots of her hair. “I couldn’t very well tell your girlfriend I thought you were the least desirable guy in school, now could I?” She was proud of herself for sounding so calm and collected, but wished the fiery colour still painting her face would disappear._ _

_ _Potter nodded, giving her a cheeky grin as he took Rosamond’s hand and led her onto the dance floor. Lily exhaled, relieved, and felt some of the warmth leave her cheeks. _ _

_ _“That’s a lovely colour on you,” drawled the deep, melodic voice of Sirius Black as he attempted to drape an arm over Lily’s shoulders. _ _

_ _“No, I won’t dance with you,” Lily replied, smiling sweetly at Black’s surprised face as she slipped out of his embrace._ _

_ _ Lily made her way as gracefully as possible away from the banquet hall and headed outside. She always found it easier to calm down when she was outdoors, especially when she could look out over a body of water. The Selwyns’ pool wasn’t quite the Hogwarts lake, but it was still far bigger than any pool Lily had ever seen before. _ _

_ _Settling down on the marble tiles, Lily gazed dreamily at the gentle ripples in the blue water. She sighed contentedly as her embarrassment and irritation faded away into tranquillity. _ _

_ _“Evans! There you are,” a deep, very masculine voice interrupted her dreaming. _ _

_ _“Go away and leave me alone,” Lily said without opening her eyes. Blatantly ignoring her, the person grabbed her shoulders and shook her thoroughly._ _


	2. Of Smiles and Second Chances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **As I was writing this, I noticed that the To All The Boys plotline still hasn’t started yet, despite what I said in my last Author’s Note. Sorry about that.  
On the plus side, this chapter has a nice long James/Lily argument (for some reason I love writing those), some more of Mary and Marlene, and a touch of Lily/Petunia interaction. I hope you enjoy it!**

Lily whipped around and nearly smashed into a very surprised James Potter. All her calm, peaceful feelings vanished in an instant and she snarled, “I thought I told you to leave me alone, Potter.”

Potter raised both hands defensively. “Whoa, Evans, don’t bite my head off immediately. I came to apologise.”

Trying to hide her surprise, Lily kept her voice icy as she replied, “I’ve had more than enough apologies to last me a lifetime, thanks.”

Completely ignoring her, of course, Potter sat down next to her by the pool. He stared out at the magically floodlit waters, his expression distant and unreadable. “I know you probably won’t believe me, Evans, but I really am sorry about that day by the lake.”

Lily didn’t reply. Potter sighed and said, “You know, Evans, you’ll always hate me if you don’t let me apologise.”

“Maybe that’s what I want,” Lily said coldly.

Potter glared at her for a moment, then shook his head firmly. “This isn’t you, Evans. You don’t hate anyone. You’re the kindest person I know.”

Lily was touched, but she would never let him see that. “Well, you do hang around with Sirius Black for the most of your time,” she said snippily. “And no-one’s ever called him _kind.”_

Potter actually laughed at that. “You’ve got a point there, Evans. But look, I’m tired of being the one person you single out to hate.”

“You’re not,” Lily said, her voice colder than ever now. “I hate Severus even more than you now. What he did is unforgivable.”

“I would never call you a…what he called you,” Potter said, and his voice surprised her with its sincerity. “I’m not like that.”

“You _are_ a bully, a braggart and an overly-arrogant git,” Lily informed him. “I can’t just _forget_ all those times you hexed people _for fun.”_

Potter nodded. “But you could give me a second chance.” 

“No,” Lily said flatly. 

“I’ve changed, I promise you that!” 

“Well, I haven’t,” Lily snapped. 

“At least give me a chance, Evans! How bad could I be?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you’d ask me out immediately afterwards, then hex my best friend when I say no?”

“I’m dating Rosamond now, Evans, or have you forgotten?”

“Like that means anything! You have no honour,” Lily hissed. 

“Well, neither do you! I’m trying to apologise and you’re yelling at me!”

“I’m not yelling!” Lily shouted, then winced. “I wasn’t planning to! You were being a git!”

“I was trying to _apologise!”_

“And I was trying to enjoy a nice, calm stroll through the gardens!”

“You were _sitting.”_

“I was going to go for a stroll! Not that it’s any of your business.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Potter said, still a little more loudly than what would be considered normal. Lily nodded curtly. 

“To get back to the point, Evans, will you forgive me for-” 

“Ruining six years of my life? How about no.”

“Be reasonable, Evans! I’m not going to stop harassing you until you accept my apology.”

“Oh, so you admit that you’re harassing me?”

“You’re bloody impossible,” Potter groaned, burying his head in his hands. He stayed like that for a while, and when he finally raised his eyes to meet Lily’s, there was bitterness in his glare. 

“I think I understand, Evans,” he said coldly. 

“Excellent, so we can skip the hexing and you can just leave right now.”

“You don’t want to hex me,” Potter said, his voice more certain than she’d like. “You want to hear me out.”

“What I want is to Apparate far, far away from here and never lay eyes on you again.”

“If you’d wanted to do that, you’d be long gone.”

“Are you _trying_ to make me leave?”

“Of course not, I’m just telling you the truth.”

“Fine, then. Say your piece.” Lily turned her back on Potter and studied the little waves in the pool. 

Potter grabbed her shoulders – again – and spun her around to face him. “I’m not apologising to your back, Evans.”

Not giving Lily any chance to retaliate, Potter went on, “So here’s what I think...no, I know...your situation is. 

“You’re mad at Snape – and me – for that day by the lake. Honestly, I can’t blame you. I can see why you can’t forgive Snape. But I can’t see why you won’t forgive me. 

“I’m trying to change, Evans. I’m trying to make up for my behaviour over the last six years, and you won’t even consider giving me a chance. Why?

“Let me tell you why. Because you’re afraid, Evans. You’re afraid to let me in, because you’re scared I’ll let you down like Snape did.”

“Ridiculous,” Lily snapped, but it sounded hollow, even to her own ears. “You’re just trying to harass me, as usual.”

“Is that really all you think of me, Evans?” Potter’s voice was soft and deadly. Somehow, Lily preferred the yelling. 

“You’ve never given me any reason to think anything else,” she said, fighting to keep the tremor out of her voice.

“Which is why I’m trying to apologise.”

“Well, you’re wasting your time, and mine.”

“You’re so... gah. I don’t know why I’m even trying.”

“I don’t, either,” Lily said coldly. “Just go, Potter.”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily, Evans. Ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you. 

“Another thing to ask my friends: have I ever let any of them down? The answer is _no,_ Evans, and it always will be.”

“That’s all very nice, but you’ve been nothing but an arrogant prat to me for too long.”

“Can’t you even give me a chance?”

Lily hesitated, just a moment, but then shook her head firmly. “No.”

Potter turned away, his fists clenching and unclenching with anger. “You’re so bloody heartless sometimes, you know that, Evans?”

Lily glared at his back. “Only with people who deserve it.”

“Why do I deserve it?”

“Uh, where have you been for the last six years?”

“I’ve changed!”

“How can you be so sure?”

Potter shrugged, but wouldn’t meet her eyes. “If you can give Severus Snape a second chance, surely I can get one too?”

“Sev was my friend,” Lily said simply. “Friends deserve any number of second chances.”

“Then let me be your friend. Let me prove to you I’m capable of changing my ways.” 

“I’ve never wanted to be your friend, Potter,” Lily said harshly. “You never showed any decent qualities.”

Potter glared at her. “Merlin, you can be so unfair! Here I am, trying to apologise and make up for what I’ve done, and you accuse me of having no decent qualities.”

“You were never like this before,” Lily defended. “You kept trying to ask me out and get my attention and generally make yourself my number one enemy.”

“Like I said – repeatedly – that’s changed. I’m sorry, okay, Evans?”

Lily gawked at him openly. “Did James Potter just admit to me, Lily Evans, that he was wrong to be such a git all the years we’ve known each other?”

Potter winced. “Maybe?”

“Say that again,” Lily said, drawing her wand. Potter promptly raised his hands and leaned backwards, muttering, “Careful, Evans.”

“I’m not going to hex you,” Lily reassured. “I just want to record your apology so I can play it to all my friends.”

“No way!” Potter said, his tone so indignant that Lily had to laugh. Noting this, Potter said quietly, “Does that mean you forgive me?” 

Lily smiled slowly. “I suppose it does.” 

“Are we friends now or what?” 

“No way!”

“Come _on,_ Evans!”

“You may have apologised, but I don’t call people my friend till they can prove they’re worth it!”

Potter stared at her, eyes glinting as he acknowledged the challenge. “Fair enough. But you have to give me the chance to prove myself, at least.”

Lily nodded. “Agreed.”

Potter smiled at her. “Brilliant! Then, to prove I really can change, I’ll leave you in peace for a while.”

“You do that,” Lily said, failing to keep the surprise out of her voice. 

Potter saluted, grinning hugely as he jogged off. 

*****

“Interrogation time,” Marlene said the minute they landed in Mary’s bedroom after the party. Lily blinked, confused.

“What Marlene means to say is _what were you doing with James Potter by the Selwyns’ pool?”_ Mary questioned. 

“Nothing!” Lily said defensively. When both Mary and Marlene sent hugely sceptical looks her way, she relented. “Fine! He apologised. I accepted. That’s it,” she added in response to Marlene’s raised eyebrow. 

“How did he apologise?” Mary pressed.

“He said he was very sorry, blah blah blah, but I refused to accept. We yelled at each other for a while, then he actually guilted me into agreeing to give him a second chance.”

Mary and Marlene exchanged glances. “Are you sure that’s what happened?” Marlene asked, raising one eyebrow. 

Lily scowled. “Of course I’m sure, Mar! I was _there,_ remember?”

Marlene had the grace to look slightly guilty. “Of course, Lily, sorry,” she mumbled. 

Mary gave her a knowing look, saying in a haughty voice that didn’t suit her at all, “I was right all along, then, wasn’t I?”

“Right about what?” Lily queried, narrowing her eyes at Marlene. Her blonde friend looked even guiltier, mumbling a “nothing” that was about as convincing as Lily’s had been earlier. 

“Brianna Jorkins told Amy Abbott, who told Lisa Jordan, who told Alice Prewett, who told Hestia Jones, who told Venus, who told me that you and James were yelling at each other over the Selwyns’ pool – ” 

“That’s true,” Lily admitted.

“ – and that you ended up snogging after pushing each other in,” Marlene finished in a rush. 

Lily groaned. “Brianna Jorkins is so much like her sister, wouldn’t you say? When Bertha was still in Hogwarts, she loved nothing more than making up lies about me and James secretly snogging.”

Marlene nodded fervently. “Sorry for believing her, Lily,” she said, sounding thoroughly ashamed of herself. 

“Oh, it’s all right,” Lily said, surreptitiously flicking her wand to Summon some of Marlene’s special Honeydukes chocolate. Marlene’s apologetic dejection vanished in a second, replaced by shock and indignation. Scowling, she pushed Lily off the bed. 

Lily just laughed at her. “Deeeelicious,” she said, making a big show of licking her lips. “I must say, Mar, you only keep the finest in your hoard.”

“It’s not a hoard!” Marlene protested. “It’s a _store.”_

Mary chuckled. “Hoard.”

Marlene twirled her wand and shot off an excellent Tickling Jinx, causing Mary to start giggling uncontrollably. Rolling her eyes, Lily muttered the counterjinx.

“Spoilsport,” Marlene muttered. “Mary never laughs that much.”

Lily grinned. “You guys are one... er, two of a kind,” she said. 

They laughed and joked together for the rest of the night.

*****

The next day, Lily’s parents (accompanied by a scowling Petunia) arrived to pick her up. Lily reluctantly said goodbye to her friends and got into her parents’ car. Even though she was officialy allowed to Apparate, she chose not to for the novelty of driving and flying. 

She did, however, show off a bit of magic for her parents’ benefit. Charles and Jasmine Evans were enraptured by the simplest of transfigurations, while Petunia scowled moodily out of the window. 

_“Linteum musculus,”_ Lily said, and Petunia yelped as her napkin turned into a white mouse. Lily’s parents chuckled along with her, but Petunia was definitely not amused. 

Feeling sorry for her sister, Lily restored the mouse to its original napkin form with a wave of her wand. Petunia’s cold glare made Lily’s heart twist, and she scooted across the aisle and settled in a window seat. 

The Isles of Scilly were as beautiful as ever. Lily smiled delightedly at the familiar turquoise waters and white sand beaches, her regret over her deteriorating relationship with Petunia fading almost immediately. She loved coming here on holiday.

As the plane was coming in to land, Lily happened to spot an all-too-familiar head of messy black hair. She froze. _He_ couldn’t be here! 

Lily looked closer, breathing out a sigh of relief when he turned around. It wasn’t him. It wasn’t Potter.

“That’s a relief,” Lily muttered to herself. “I wouldn’t have been able to bear a month in Potter’s company, let alone a holiday!”

She stared at the back of the black-haired youth’s head. The real Potter’s behaviour had been so… different at the Selwyns’ party. She could barely believe he was the same boy who’d bullied and taunted Sev – and made _her_ life a misery – for her first six years at Hogwarts.

Come to think of it, Potter hadn’t asked her out since that disastrous day by the lake. He also hadn’t bullied Severus since – at least not that she was aware of – and she’d actually come across him _tutoring_ a group of first-years in Levitation Charms. 

It was bizarre. Why was Potter suddenly going through this miraculous change? What incentive could possibly motivate him to change his behaviour so drastically? 

Little did Lily know that she would be receiving the answer in her Hogwarts letter, which was en-route to the Isles of Scilly at that very minute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I hope you guys found this chapter a little bit more exciting than the previous one, even though it didn’t have any To All The Boys action in it yet… that really is starting in the next chapter, just so by the way.   
If you liked it, please do leave me a comment! I really do appreciate them **


	3. Of New Friendships Forming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Here we are, guys – chapter three. As you may or may not have guessed from the title, it's about Lily's burgeoning friendship with the Marauders, especially her fellow Head.**
> 
> **I feel that I should add that though this is a Harry Potter/To All The Boys I've Loved Before crossover, the To All The Boys part falls under the category of "loosely based on." For instance, there will not be any love letters in this story – try as I might, I could not figure out how to get that to make logical sense. There are still, however, definite plot elements from To All The Boys, and you might recognise some dialogue from the Netflix movie.**
> 
> **That should be all, then. Enjoy chapter three!**  


Lily was sprawled on her towel on the beach when the Hogwarts owl dropped her letter on her lap. Lily ruffled its feathers, subtly glancing around at her fellow sunbathers. Fortunately, none of them had noticed the owl. With a final pat, Lily sent it on its way.

Eagerly, Lily tore open the envelope and unfolded the familiar yellowish parchment. She smiled to herself as she began to read it.

_Dear Miss Evans,_

_Please note that the new term will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross Station, platform nine-and-three-quarters, at eleven o'clock._

_We are delighted to inform you that you have been selected as the Hogwarts Head Girl. We have enclosed a full list of the responsibilities and privileges that come with this esteemed position._

_You will find a list of your new schoolbooks enclosed._

_Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Lily gaped at the letter in shock for a few minutes. Head Girl! What an achievement! Her parents would be so proud. _She_ was so proud!

Fingers trembling slightly, Lily tugged out the booklist and scanned over her new books. There were only two new books to be purchased – _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7_ and _An Advanced Study of Defence Against the Dark Arts._

Lily read over the other list – the list of her duties as Head Girl – with a huge grin on her face. She had double the amount of responsibilities as her prefects, and also double the amount of privileges. She read on.

_The Head Boy and Girl have a private dormitory, bathroom and study each, as well as a shared common room. These apartments can be found up the staircase at the back of the Prefects' Corridor._

_The Head Boy for 1978 will be James Potter of Gryffindor House._

Lily blinked, stunned. Then she re-read that last sentence several times. It stayed the same every time.

Potter was Head Boy. _James Potter was Head Boy!_

This would need a _lot_ of getting used to.

*****

Platform nine-and-three-quarters looked strange and unfamiliar without the usual bustle and chaos of the crowds. As Head Girl, Lily had Apparated to the platform half an hour earlier to make sure she was the first there.

Well, nearly the first. The Marauders had beaten her to it.

"Evans!" Sirius Black called, waving her over. "Congratulations on getting Head Girl!"

Lily nodded at him, then turned her gaze to Potter. "So. You're Head Boy," she said.

"I am," he agreed, watching her warily.

"Could you leave us alone for a minute, please?" Lily asked the other three Marauders, her eyes never leaving Potter's face.

"And leave our best mate to the mercy of Lily Evans? Not likely!" Sirius began, but Remus shoved him bodily away from Lily and Potter. "Do try not to kill him, okay, Lily?" he asked over his shoulder.

When the other three Marauders were well out of earshot, Lily met Potter's gaze squarely. "I'll be honest with you, Potter. When I read that you were Head Boy, I was shocked. I didn't know what Dumbledore could possibly see in you.

"But I intend to find out. I'm Head Girl and you're Head Boy, which means we'll have to put our personal differences aside and work together effectively as a team. I am willing to try, for the sake of Hogwarts and because that's what Dumbledore expects of me.

"But you need to work with me. As the Muggles say, _it takes two to tango._ We can only be a team if you and I both make some allowances for the other, and try to change some aspects of our personalities.

"I was chosen to be Head Girl, and it's a great honour for me. I fully intend to be the best Head Girl that Hogwarts has ever seen. And I won't let anyone get in my way. So, Potter, are you going to be with me or against me this year?"

Potter, who had been staring stupidly at Lily throughout her monologue, recovered his wits enough to nod rapidly. "I'll be with you, of course, Evans. It's just as much an honour for me as it is for you, and I'll do whatever it takes to prove it to you."

Lily smiled. "I'm glad we see eye to eye, then. For the sake of Hogwarts, let's agree to put aside our differences and work together as the penultimate Hogwarts team!"

She held out her hand, and an obviously surprised Potter shook it. "Differences aside," he said, in a slightly awed voice. "You won't regret it, Evans, I promise you that."

Lily smiled at him. "Good. I don't intend to."

*****

Somewhat to her surprise, Lily found herself actually enjoying working _with_ Potter instead of against him all the time. He was dedicated and thorough, and just and fair at all times. He did almost more than his fair share of their Head duties, and he was full of intelligent and useful ideas and suggestions.

She found that she didn't mind sharing a dormitory with him nearly as much as she'd thought she would – he was always polite and considerate, and never intruded in her personal space.

As part of their agreement, both of them made concerted efforts to be friends with the other's friends. Despite this, Lily was still sometimes caught unawares by the sight of Marlene and Sirius studying together, or of Remus helping Mary with her Defence homework.

The Marauders were far more pleasant company than Lily could ever have imagined, and she found herself turning a blind eye more often than not when it came to their outrageous pranks. That is, provided that Potter had no part in said pranks, and that they were harmless to all the parties involved.

Her one complaint had little enough to do with Potter and a lot to do with his girlfriend, Rosamond Fairbourne. Lily found it heartily annoying to be forced to listen to her endless stories of what a _fantastic_ snog Potter was, and how "absolutely knee-weakeningly amazing" he looked in his Quidditch uniform.

But even that was easy to live with compared to Severus's daily attempts to catch Lily unawares with an apology. It was after a particularly trying day that she collapsed on her bed complaining her heart out to Mary and Marlene.

"I wish he'd just leave me alone!" Lily said for what must have been the fifteenth time at least. Mary, who was drawing up a star chart, nodded sympathetically but didn't even lift her head.

"You've got Neptune in the wrong place," Marlene advised, leaning over Mary's work and studying it with a critical eye. "Oh, and Lily, if you're that serious about getting Snape to leave you alone, just hex him already."

"I'm Head Girl, remember?" Lily said, and peered over Marlene to look at Mary's chart. "No, Marls, Neptune is right, but Jupiter is off by about five centimeters. And its moons are Europa and Ganymede from this angle, not Io and Callisto."

Mary groaned and reached for her wand to fix the mistake. "Thanks, Lily, I owe you one."

"I'll owe you if you can think of a viable method to get Severus off my case," Lily said, burying her head in her hands at the thought of him.

Mary stared into the distance for a while, then shook her head sadly. "Sorry, my friend, I can't think of anything. Try asking Potter."

"Say that again," Marlene said suddenly.

"Er... sorry, my friend, I can't think of anything. Try asking Potter," Mary repeated, with a puzzled glance in Marlene's direction.

"That's it!" Marlene said, clapping her hands.

Mary and Lily just stared at her in confusion. She rolled her eyes.

"It's simple, really. Just be friends with Potter!"

"I don't follow," Lily admitted, and Mary concurred with a puzzled nod. Marlene sighed deeply.

"You are a pair, aren't you? It's the simplest thing in the world, and neither of you can see it."

"Well, don't leave us in suspense," Lily huffed impatiently.

"Let me spell it out for you," Marlene said, and began to speak particularly slowly and articulately. "Just...be...friends...with...Potter."

Mary groaned. "You said that already, Mar. Neither of us can see how it'll possibly help Lily."

"Well, apart from the obvious _it's-better-for-both-of-you,_ Potter was and still is Snape's worst enemy. If you start hanging around with Potter and the Marauders, Snape will most likely avoid the lot of you like the plague."

Lily blinked. Now that Marlene had said it, it _did_ seem rather obvious. "That... might actually work," she and Mary said at the same time.

"I know, I know, I'm brilliant," Marlene said smugly. Lily rolled her eyes, but had to give it to Marlene.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll try it tomorrow."

*****

Lily and her friends sat down with the Marauders at breakfast the next morning.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Sirius Black asked, his eyes lingering just a bit too long on Marlene's loose top button.

"Put a cap in it, Black," the lady in question scoffed, but Lily thought she saw a hint of red paint Marlene's cheeks. She hid a smile as she plopped down between Remus and Potter, resolving to tease Marlene about Black at the first chance she got.

"Morning," Potter greeted, then went back to flirting with his girlfriend. Lily rolled her eyes and turned to talk to Remus, quickly starting an engaging conversation about grindylows and whether or not they resided in the Black Lake.

Marlene's plan proved to be working rather well, as Severus didn't try to apologise even once. In fact, Lily saw very little of him for the next week, which was definitely a good thing.

Unfortunately she couldn't go _everywhere_ with the Marauders, and Severus soon figured out when she had a Marauder-free period and caught her by surprise.

"What are you doing, hanging around with Potter and his friends?" he demanded as Lily was leaving her Arithmancy class.

Lily was immediately on the defensive. "I can be friends with whoever I like," she said, trying to shove past Severus. He blocked her stubbornly.

"Have you forgotten what they did to us? To _me?"_ Severus asked, his voice rising with anger.

"Have you forgotten what _you_ did to _me?"_ Lily countered, her voice sharp and angry.

Severus winced. "You won't let me forget, Lily! You won't even try to forgive me!"

"I told you before, and I'll do it again if I have to: our friendship is over. _Over,_ Severus. You chose your side, I chose mine. That's it."

"We can still be friends, Lily! You know I would never say –"

"Do I know that? Do I? No, _Snape,_ I don't. I haven't forgotten that day by the lake."

"But you've forgiven Potter!" Sev – no, Snape – protested.

"Potter's changed," Lily said simply. "If Dumbledore thinks highly enough of him to make him Head Boy, that's good enough for me."

Whirling around, she marched away from a shocked Snape. As she rounded the corner, she smacked head-first into a guilty-faced Potter.

"What the...?" Lily snarled.

Potter held up a hand. "I can explain!"

"You'd better," she hissed.

"Right. Of course. Sorry. So, I was looking for you-"

"Why?" Lily snapped, her anger still not spent.

"I needed to ask you about patrols, Evans! Remus is ill and can't take his shift, so we need to rearrange the schedule. I wanted to check with you before I made the changes."

Lily blinked, surprised. That Potter could be so _reasonable..._

"Anyway, as I was coming around the corner, I heard your voice. You were saying you could be friends with whoever you liked. Then I heard Snape, and I was about to rush in and defend myself and you –"

"I can defend myself, thanks," Lily interrupted, annoyed.

" – and then you were speaking again. You stuck up for me, Lily. That means a lot to me." His hazel eyes were serious as he looked at her.

Lily found herself uncomfortable for some reason and lowered her gaze. "Yeah, well...We're a team now, aren't we, Potter?" It was only after she'd spoken that she realised he had called her _Lily._

Lily. Not Evans – _Lily._ Her first name.

"That we are, Evans," Potter replied, a crooked smile flickering briefly over his face before morphing into his trademark smirk.

And it was gone. They were on surname-basis again.

"Are you going to say anything else?" Potter asked, stopping and quirking an eyebrow at her. "It's not like you to be so quiet."

"I might," Lily teased. "If you ask nicely."

Potter's smirk appeared again, wider than ever now. "I know a few ways to get a lady to do what I want."

It was Lily's turn to raise her eyebrows. "Flirting, Potter? Need I remind you that you already have girlfriend?"

Potter shrugged, suddenly awkward, and wouldn't meet her eyes. "Uh, yeah, about that..."

Lily groaned. "Don't tell me. You broke up."

"And now the poor Head Boy is all alone, without even a pretty face to cheer him up," Potter said, with mock despair. "Oh, what shall he do?"

"Stop flirting with the Head Girl, for one," Lily sniffed. "She's not interested."

"I wouldn't be too sure," Potter said in a sing-song voice. "She's blushing oh-so-red!"

Lily put a hand to her cheek. "The Head Boy's eyes are playing tricks with him."

"The Head Boy's wearing glasses, remember?"

"How could I forget such a crucial detail?" With a flick of her wrist, Lily knocked Potter's glasses off his nose and scooped them away before he had time to react.

"Hey!" he protested, chasing after her as she sped away.

Lily giggled to herself as Potter clumsily tripped over the doorstep. "Catch me if you can!" she sang, racing over the grounds with Potter in pursuit. Narrowing her eyes, Lily made for the Quidditch pitch.

Potter caught up to her halfway there and flung out an arm, catching Lily around the waist. She struggled, and as she slipped out of his grasp, she tripped and fell flat on her back.

Potter immediately crouched next to her, offering his hand to help her into a sitting position. "Up you come, Evans," he said pleasantly.

Lily pointed where his glasses had fallen. "I'm sorry, let me get those for you. _Oculus reparo._ There, good as new." She awkwardly tucked his glasses back behind his ears and blushed a little.

As she fussed with his glasses, Lily saw something that made her groan with dismay.

It was Snape, and he was heading directly for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Yes, I really am going to leave it there. No prizes for guessing what comes next, though. **


	4. Of A Kiss and Its Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I’ve decided to be kind and keep most of my notes to the end, since I’m sure you really don’t want to read my babbling now. **
> 
> **I am going to bother you for just a little bit longer, though – to say thank you so much to everybody who’s taken the time to read this fic. It really means a lot to me, guys. This chapter is specially for you. **

_“Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Not now!”_ Lily thought, dismayed as she watched Snape approaching grimly from the castle.

A reckless, spur-of-the-moment idea flashed through Lily’s head, and on a whim, she decided to act on it. Taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, Lily muttered to Potter, “For the love of all that is magical, play along now.”

Then she kissed him.

To his credit, Potter gathered his wits remarkably quickly. After staring at her dumbfounded for a few seconds, he kissed her right back.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw Snape stop dead, mouth hanging open. She pulled away enough to mutter, elated, “It’s working!”

“I won’t even ask,” Potter replied, his face still centimetres from hers. Lily kissed him again, relieved when he immediately responded in kind. 

Honestly, she wasn’t even sure exactly how much time had passed. It couldn’t have been more than a minute, but it definitely wasn’t any less than that either. 

One thing she _did_ know was that when she lifted her head again, Snape was gone. And James Potter was staring at her expectantly, all too clearly waiting for an explanation. 

Lily didn’t know what to say. She looked everywhere and anywhere except at Potter’s face, her cheeks flaming red. Her nerve deserted her when she did look into his eyes, and she leapt up and fled towards the castle, completely ignoring Potter’s calls for her to wait. 

*****

“What did I do?” Lily asked her ceiling, not even bothering to hide the horror in her voice. “I’m pretty sure I just ruined _everything.”_

Obviously, the ceiling had no reply. That didn’t stop Lily from pouring her heart out to it, though.

“Potter was just starting to get…well, decent…and then what do I do? I go and kiss him. There’s no way he’ll understand…” she broke off with a sigh and moodily flung a pillow at the poor ceiling. 

Feeling suddenly hungry, Lily grumpily stood up and marched out of her room. Checking briefly that Potter was nowhere in sight, she made her weary way towards the kitchens. 

Lily was a great favourite with the house-elves, and she was immediately accosted by several of them offering all kinds of delicious snacks. “Thank you so much!” Lily laughed, tucking in to an apple pastry and pulling a honey-yoghurt drink closer. 

“Hey, Evans!” an all-too-familiar voice called from her left. Lily nearly choked on her drink and turned slowly to face Potter. 

“So, what are you doing here?” she asked, in a desperate attempt to sound casual. 

“Oh, I just came to sample some of the chocolate milk. Sirius says it’s not to be missed. If you wouldn’t mind,” he smiled at the nearest house-elf, before shifting his attention to Lily again. 

“Cool,” she said, not meeting his eyes.

“Actually, I asked to Mary and Marlene, and they said I’d probably find you here. We need to talk, Evans.”

Lily squirmed in her seat. “Well, then, fire away.”

“Look, Evans, I’m flattered, I am, but Rosamond and I _just_ broke up…”

“Are you trying to reject me right now?”

“Uh, well, yeah, I guess.” 

“James Potter, I am not trying to date you.” Lily was relieved that her voice sounded so certain and unshakeable.

“Your mouth is saying something now… but then your mouth said something completely different this afternoon.” He pointed a thumb backwards.

Then, “Thank you…Mittie, right?” to the house-elf as she placed his chocolate shake in front of him. 

Deciding it was best to clear up the situation as quickly as possible, Lily said, “Okay, er, so here’s the thing. I don’t actually _like_ you. I just needed to make it _look_ like I liked you so that somebody else would realise that I definitely don’t like them and never will.”

Potter nodded. “Oh, okay. Who?”

She blinked. “What?”

“You’ve got to tell me who this mystery admirer is, otherwise, I’ll just go on believing that Lily Evans has a secret crush on me,” he clarified. 

“No!” Lily shook her head violently, simultaneously refusing to tell him and denying that she had a crush on him.

“Oh, so shall I just tell the rest of the school that Lily Evans just jumped me, James Potter, by the Quidditch pitch?”

“Okay, okay, fine, fine. Um…it’s Severus Snape.”

Potter’s face darkened. “Figures.”

Lily shuffled awkwardly in her seat. “So, are we good here?”

“Uh, ye…yeah,” Potter affirmed, his voice only slightly doubtful. 

“Okay, great,” Lily said, standing up and crumpling her napkin onto her plate. She made as if to leave, but Potter called her back. 

“Wait, wait, wait! Are you walking back alone?”

“Yeah,” Lily said, smiling to cover her confusion. 

“It’s past curfew, Evans, you’ll get in trouble if you’re caught. I’ll walk you.”

“And who says _you_ won’t get caught?”

“Please, Evans. I might be Head Boy now, but my Marauder habits will never die completely.”

Her smile widening, Lily took his outstretched arm and allowed him to lead her back to their dormitory. 

She paused with her hand on the door. “Ah…thanks for walking me, Potter.”

He shrugged. “Not a problem, Evans.” 

“Oh, and…er, sorry for jumping you back then.”

Potter’s grin became a smirk. “Could have been worse.”

Lily rolled her eyes at him, but chose not to comment. Deep down she was even a little flattered, but she would never, ever admit that to anyone, least of all Potter himself. 

“What are you going say to Snape?” Potter asked, surprising her. 

“I hope I won’t be speaking to him for a long time,” Lily answered honestly. “There’s no way I’m going to tell him the truth, though.”

Turning away from him again, Lily opened the door and started climbing the stairs to her private dormitory. 

“Hey, hold on,” Potter called, jogging up the steps behind her. Unlike the ones in Gryffindor tower, these didn’t turn into a helter-skelter when his feet touched them.

“What if you didn’t tell anyone the truth?” he asked, spinning her around to face him. 

She blinked, startled. “Wait, what?”

“What if we _let_ people think we were together? Just for a little while. And not just Snape – I mean _everybody.”_

Lily chuckled, half-amused and half-shocked. “Why would you want that?”

“Well, for starters, when Rosamond heard you’d kissed me, she went nuts. I figured that if I could get her jealous enough, she’d want to get back together.”

“Ohhh, so you want to use me as your pawn.”

“Hmm, well, see, _technically_ you used me as your pawn first when you jumped me.”

Seeing the obvious denial on her face, Potter backtracked, “Look, you don’t need to give me an answer now. Just think about it, okay?”

“Yes, well, don’t hold your breath,” Lily remarked, opening her door and closing it again in Potter’s face. 

Lily collapsed on her bed again the moment Potter’s footsteps retreated down the stairs again. “There’s no way I’m agreeing to this,” she informed her ceiling. “I mean, it’ll never work out. For starters, there’s the fact that no-one in the school will ever believe it. And if they do, they’ll either mock me about finally ‘giving in’ to Potter, or they’ll hate me for taking the ‘handsomest guy in school’ out of the dating market.”

A treacherous little voice in her head argued back at her. _“But you’ve never cared what other people think, and neither has Potter. Besides, not everyone in the school will hate or mock you – some people are genuinely nice!”_

“Genuinely nice people are the minority,” Lily said, fully aware that she was having a conversation with herself. “And I happen to have two of those rare specimens as my best friends. I can’t just _lie_ to them, especially not about something as big as this!”

_“Ah, but if they didn’t ever find out you were lying, they would never be mad about it! And, anyway, it was Marlene who suggested a friendship with Potter in the first place!”_

“Friendship, yeah, but not a relationship! Besides, there’s no way I’m ever kissing Potter again. It was –“

_“Good. It was good, and you enjoyed it. But if it really bothers you that much, you could always say that there’s no need for snogging in a fake relationship.”_

“Potter would never accept that! He’s too…” Lily trailed off, fully aware that Potter had changed for the better and would probably understand. “Gah! There’s really no need for this, anyway!”

_“Is that the best argument you can think of? Of course there’s a need for it! If Snape thinks you’re dating Potter, there’s no way he’ll speak to you again! And if he does, Potter will be there to back you up.”_

“I don’t need Potter’s help,” Lily said defensively.

_“That’s true, but –“_

“No buts! I’m not dating Potter, and that’s final!”

_“It would be fake, Lily. How bad can it be?”_

Lily whacked herself with a pillow. “Shut up, me!”

_“You’re agreeing,”_ the voice in her head said smugly. 

Lily groaned. “I am not.”

_“But you will. You’re clever, you can see it’d only benefit you!”_

“No it wouldn’t! What if…what if Potter got ideas about me again? I don’t want that at all.”

_“He only wants to fake it with you to make Rosamond jealous. He’s over you.”_

“But what if I don’t want him to get back together with Rosamond?”

_“Are you jealous, Lily?”_

“Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. I just didn’t like her, is all.”

_“Well, then all the more reason to fake it with Potter! If she thinks you’re dating him, there’s no way she can get back with him!”_

“I still don’t want to do it.”

_“Stop lying to yourself. You’re convinced.”_

Lily groaned. “I’m going insane.”

_“All you need to do is say it.”_

“FINE! Fine, I’ll fake-date Potter.”

The voice in her head was mercifully silent, and for some reason Lily found herself picturing Remus’s slightly smug smile. 

“I’ll tell him tomorrow,” she muttered, crawling into bed. 

*****

Lily avoided Potter throughout breakfast and classes, not quite ready yet to share her decision. It didn’t help that Black kept smirking at her. 

Finally, when she knew Potter would be practicing Quidditch, she drew on every bit of Gryffindor courage and decided to tell him. 

Lily walked quickly towards the Quidditch pitch, hiding her nerves behind the determined mask of her face. She saw Potter swoop through the air on his Nimbus 1800 and had to give it to him. Personal opinions aside, she had to admit that he was an excellent flyer.

“Hey, Potter!” she shouted, relieved when he immediately dove down and landed with an impressive _whoosh._

“What?” he asked, folding his arms. 

“Let’s do this,” Lily said, giving him a small smile. Potter grinned back, then kissed her full on the mouth. 

When they separated, Lily turned stiffly away from him, wishing for the hundredth time that she didn’t blush so easily. “I’ll be going then,” she said, her voice little more than a squeak.

Potter nodded. “See you, Evans.”

“Carry on!” Lily ordered, hiding her embarrassment as best she could. 

Potter saluted. “As you wish.”

Hopping back onto his broom, Potter leapt into the air and started barking orders at his surprised (but definitely amused) team. 

*****

“First things first, we need to set up a contract so we’re on the same page about the rules,” Lily said, looking squarely across at Potter. 

He sipped noisily at his drink, then lifted an eyebrow at her as he set it back on the table. “There are rules? You sure know how to zap the fun out of a situation.”

“Well, it’s important to know where we stand on certain things,” Lily defended, reaching for a quill and parchment in her bag. 

“Okay, like what?” Potter asked, putting his feet on the table. Lily slapped them down again and continued calmly. 

“Well, for example, I don’t want you to kiss me again.”

“Are you crazy? No-one’s going to believe we’re in a relationship if I’m not allowed to kiss you.”

“Well, you might be an old hand at this dating stuff, but I’ve never had a boyfriend before.”

“You have the references of an eighty-year-old,” Potter accused with a resigned shake of his head. “Why does that even matter?”

“It matters because I don’t want all my firsts to be fake,” Lily said frankly. “If I’m going to be snogging someone, I want to do it for real.”

“Okay, but you kissed me first.”

She shook her head firmly. “This is non-negotiable.”

“Ugh, _fine,”_ Potter sighed. “But we need to figure something out. People are going to get very suspicious if I’m not even allowed to touch you.”

“You have a point. How about this: you can hold my hand and walk me to breakfast.”

Lily ignored Potter’s eye roll and went on. “Aaand, we can never tell anyone that this relationship is fake.”

“Duh,” Potter agreed. 

“Okay, so I’ve got _no snogging_ and _no snitching._ Anything else?”

Potter frowned, seemingly considering something. Then he nodded, eyes lighting up mischievously. “I could…write you notes. Every day.”

“You’d do that?” Lily asked softly.

Potter nodded. “Sure.” After a pause, he added, “Rosamond was always on my case to write her notes, but I never did. If I do it for you, she’ll go ballistic.”

“How romantic,” Lily said drily. 

“Oh, and you have to come to my Quidditch games, and attend the parties afterwards with me.”

“Then you have to teach me to fly like you do.” She hadn’t meant to say it, but somehow the confession had slipped out. 

“You can’t fly?” Potter asked, stunned. 

“Well…I’m Muggle-born –“

“That shouldn’t influence anything.”

“– and we only had very basic lessons in first year. I never practiced, and now I can’t fly properly. It always looked so…fun, but I was scared, I guess. I regret it now.”

“You can fly _with_ me if you’d like, Evans,” Potter offered, his tone and words so kind that she couldn’t help but be touched. 

“I’d like that. But, Potter, if anyone in school ever hears about it –especially the bit where I confessed to being afraid – I’ll know exactly who told them. And trust me, you do not want to see what I’ll do then.”

“We’ve been over this, Evans. No snitching. Besides, I’d never betray a friend. Or a fake girlfriend, whatever the case may be.”

“I appreciate that, Potter. I really do.”

“You’re making me blush, Evans.”

She grinned at him. “Something else just occurred to me, too. I call you Potter, and you call me Evans. That won’t work if we’re supposed to be in a relationship. So, _James,_ what do you say?”

“I say, _Lily,_ that I agree.”

“Good,” Lily said, adding the last couple of conditions to the contract. Potter pulled it from her hands and studied it critically. 

“Aha! Last thing. You’re coming with me on the snowflying trip.”

The Hogwarts seventh-year snowflying trip to Glenshee was notorious. It was said that more students lost their virginities there than in the rest of the whole school year. Lily had never in her wildest dreams imagined actually going, despite Marlene’s attempts to persuade her. 

“Um….” Lily said hesitantly. “That’s months away. How do you even know we’ll still be doing this when that time comes?”

“Let’s call it a contingency. Look, no-one in their right mind is going to let their boyfriend go on that trip without them. So, if we are still doing this by the time it comes around, you have to go with me.”

Lily was almost certain that by the time that snowflying trip came around, she and Potter would be ancient history. That was the only reason she said “Okay. Deal.”

Lily yanked the contract out of Potter’s hands and signed it neatly with her quill. Then she passed it to him. 

**CONTRACT Oct. 15**

1\. NO snogging or kissing of any kind. (holding hands is OK)  
2\. NO snitching.  
3\. James must write Lily a note every day.  
4\. Lily must go to parties with James.  
5\. James must fly with Lily every day.  
6\. Lily must go to all James’s Quidditch matches.  
7\. James and Lily will go on the seventh-years’ annual snowflying trip to Glenshee together.  
Signed:  
_Lily Evans_ **James Potter**

When they had both signed, Lily held out her hand for Potter – _James,_ she reminded herself, _James_ – to shake. Smiling a little, he clasped it firmly, and they shook.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I think this was the first proper _To All The Boys_-plotline chapter, and I’d love to hear what you guys think about it!**

**Author's Note:**

> **Sorry if this first chapter was a bit boring, I find that my intro chapters often are. Next one’s better, I promise! (Also, the _To All the Boys_ plotline really only starts in the next chapter) **


End file.
